


fire-wreathed

by titaniaeli



Category: One Piece
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Spoilers, What-If, speculation fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 13:03:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15365274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titaniaeli/pseuds/titaniaeli
Summary: He stared at Sabo's unconscious body on the ground and couldn't help but wondered if fate really hated him this much.





	fire-wreathed

He could  _feel_  the chaos spreading across Mary Geoise. The sky was swallowed up by the black of Karasu’s crows, their caws mixing with the panicked cries of the attending monarchs trying to escape from the pandemonium.

Sabo’s heart was calm, a steady beat that remained unfazed.  

Their infiltration was a success. Kuma has been rescued, along with several other slaves. Karasu and Morley have evacuated the attending royals.  

“We meet again, Tora-san,” he smirked, resting his pipe across his shoulder. His stance was deliberately languid as he tilted his head back.

Of all the people he could run into, it has to be Admiral Fujitora. Sabo had barely managed to fend the Admiral off the last time they battled. Sure, he had trained his Devil Fruit, his body relearning how to fight with his flames. But it had barely been a month since he ate his Devil Fruit and he still has trouble controlling the fire at times.

His gaze flitted towards the other man. Ryokugyu, yet another monster of the Marines.

He really has the shittiest luck.

“Sabo-san, you continue to surprise me with your audacity...” Fujitora rumbled, power swelling like a tidal wave. “What purpose could the Revolutionaries find in Mary Geoise?!”

What purpose could the Revolutionaries  _not_  find in Mary Geoise, the very embodiment of racism and privilege in this world?

It’s not time yet to tear down Mary Geoise and raze this place to the ocean, but one day Sabo would see it happen. In his lifetime, or the next—if he has to pave the way himself for the next generation to finish their hard work. He has spent his whole life on this; he could be patient a little longer.

Right now, he has his priority, and that’s to make sure his comrades get away safely.

He lifted a hand, running his fingers over the smooth feathers of the crow on his shoulder. Gently, he urged the bird off.

The crow let out a shriek of outrage, flaring its wings abruptly. It took off into the air.

“Ace,” he murmured, his pipe bursting into flames. The fire licked across his body, a comfortable heat surging under his skin. “Stay with me.”

* * *

Mary Geoise, after the invasion, was eerie in its silence. The Marines have done their best in corralling the Tenryubito safely back to their homes, barricading the Tenryumon from the ongoing chaos outside.

Pangaea Castle was in shambles. The war against the Revolutionary has destroyed most of the castle.

Garp could feel a headache pounding behind his eyes as he marched down a wrecked pathway.  _He was supposed to be retired, dammit!_  His two subordinates struggled to keep up with his earnest strides.

Weary soldiers filed past the three Marines, most likely bearing the brunt of the Tenryubito’s fury. Mary Geoise was never supposed to be breached by the Revolutionary. For the fifth time that hour, Garp cursed at his son.

He burst into the hall, stopping short at the sight of the Five Elders. All five old farts bore grave faces, standing around in a circle. Flowy, translucent curtains fluttered gently between the pillars surrounding them, and he frowned as he felt a presence lingering behind one of those curtains. It felt harmless though, so Garp tried to ignore it and focused on the other two presences in the corner.

Fujitora and Ryokugyu were singed at the edges, scratches marring their faces and arms. There’s even dried blood scrunched at the side of Fujitora’s head.

Garp’s brows furrowed as he felt dread sank deep into his belly. Taking an uneven breath, he marched forward.

He froze when he noticed the figure laying in the middle of the Five Elders. Blond hair scattered across a scarred face, golden lashes fluttered over pale cheekbones. He was so still that Garp thought he was dead for a moment.

He hadn’t quite believed his eyes when he first saw the news about Dressrosa. His idiot grandson’s exploits had cracked him up, obviously—Doflamingo had needed an ass-kicking for a long time now—but he didn’t know that Luffy had another brother aside from Ace and—

But of course, Sabo was dead, wasn’t he?

His grandsons had moped for weeks after Sabo had sank into the ocean.

Was it fate that sent Sabo to his son?

He never expected to see the boy he had once forcefully adopted as a grandson twelve years later, in Mary Geoise of all places.

“Who have we lost?” The Five Elders questioned, five pairs of eyes turning at Garp’s approach.

“The Revolutionary has taken Kuma along with them, along with several other slaves.” Garp said offhandedly, knowing full well how much his flippancy would piss the hell out of these old farts. He avoided looking at Sabo’s body. From the damages the blonde had taken, it seemed that he had gone toe to toe with Fujitora and Ryokugyu.

 _Little bastard_ , he thought fondly. It’s apparent that the brat was not yet strong enough to win against two Admirals, but he still felt a strong surge of pride at seeing the state the two Marines were in.

Sabo might have lost, but he had fought hard.

“We’re—We’re still systematizing a list of the sla—slaves who were rescued, but right now everything is still quite chaotic. We don’t quite know the exact figure of the missing slaves yet.” Coby stuttered, when his superior did not continue.

One of the Elders huffed, turning away to stare at Sabo. “Keep the media quiet about this.”

“Sir?” Coby gasped.

“We have captured the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary.” He replied. “He’s Dragon’s right-hand and is worth more than the few losses. Placate the Tenryubito with a new batch of slaves.”

Coby clenched his fist silently.

“I do not want a repeat of Portgas D. Ace with a public execution.” The same Elder said authoritatively. He’s the oldest, with a strict demeanour and bore a sword on his hip. “This man here is Monkey D. Luffy’s sworn brother, is he not? And Straw Hat himself was famously Portgas D. Ace’s sworn brother as well.” An accusing glare was shot at Garp, which he cheerfully pretended not to notice. “He might not be a ‘D’, but he may as well be counted as one through his association.”

“If his capture is known to the public, will Straw Hat storm Mary Geoise to save his brother?” Another Elder questioned, the blonde with a solemn countenance. “Portgas D. Ace’s death, along with Whitebeard’s, had started a new era.”

“Something like that cannot happen again!” The eldest roared, slamming his sword on the ground. “He’ll be more valuable as a hostage. Dragon cannot move if we have his right-hand with us.”

He tilted his head, his gaze in another direction. Garp frowned and followed his gaze. The unseen presence has become heavier. He thought he saw a shadow flitting behind the curtains.

“Keep him sedated, but enough for him to be conscious.” The Elder gestured at Sabo. “I want to know everything he knows about the Revolutionary. Even as a hostage, he should be paying his dues.”

Garp tasted blood in his mouth. But even he knew how utterly foolish he has to be to attack the Five Elders. A voice that sounded like Sengoku griped at him to watch his temper.

“Take him to the basement.” Was the command before they left.

“This sort of thing always makes me lose my appetite.” Ryokugyu sighed, long legs striding forward. “But then again, I hadn’t eaten for three years!” He let loose an annoying loud laugh, his back creaking as he cracked his joints.

“Don’t touch him.” Garp scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You want to fight, Garp?” Ryokugyu grinned.

Garp snorted and stalked past him, stopping in front of Sabo’s unconscious body. The anger felt muted now that the Five Elders were gone.

“What have you gone and done now, stupid brat?” He huffed, crouching down. Carefully, he pulled Sabo into his arms. The younger man remained boneless, his hair shifting aside to reveal blood under the blond locks. If Fujitora and Ryokugyu looked like they were set on fire several times, Sabo looked like he has been wrecked. By a _meteor_.

Wary of broken bones, Garp was exceptionally gentle for the first time in a long time. Pity Sabo was not awake to see that.

“Well, then, lead the way to the basement.” Garp grumbled.

Fujitora raised a singed brow at him but remained silent. As he carried the blonde to his imprisonment, the irony of the situation hit him. He had been the one to guard Ace at his execution too.

While the two boys were not of his blood, they were Luffy’s brothers. The day the three boys shared sake, they have not only gained brothers of their own, but also an annoying grandfather they all didn’t want.

And now Garp has a hand in bringing his other grandson to his death.

Truthfully, the irony was enough to make him chuckled out loud. If he sounded bitter, his companions were kind enough not to say anything.


End file.
